The Director
by OliviaMonroe
Summary: She thought she had left that life behind...left them behind. But when they show up in her room, in her dream, asking her to come back for one last job, she is forced to confront her past with old faces and some new ones. ArthurXOC
1. Chapter 1

**Okay so let the mind games begin! The first chapter of Inception is up! It will follow the movie plot except have my own character incorporated in it which of course will change a few things! I hope you like it! Let me know!**

**At the Warehouse…Paris…**

They were all sitting in the warehouse near the University. The team consisted of Cobb (the Extractor), Arthur (the Point Man), Eames (the Forger), Saito (the Tourist), Yusuf (the Chemist), and Ariadne (the Architect). They were formulating a plan to plant an idea into their target's head. The target was a man named Robert Fischer. Fischer's father is the rival to Saito's company and he has a terminal illness. His days are numbered. Saito needed Robert Fischer Jr. to split up his father's empire so that it no longer threatened Saito's company. That's where Cobb and the team came in. They had to make it look like the idea was Fischer's. Inception: planting the idea in the target's mind and making them believe it was their idea to begin with. Going so deep and ignoring the consequences.

"So we have the whole team together. Now what?" Saito asked anxiously.

"We don't have everyone," Cobb said looking down.

"What do you mean? There are _more_ people?" Saito asked disbelievingly.

"Just one more," Cobb said quietly.

He knew Arthur would not like this and he knew there was a fat chance in hell he could get her to come aboard. But he had to try. He needed her for this. He felt Arthur's eyes drilling holes into his head. He didn't tell Arthur he'd be recruiting her.

"Who is it?" Saito asked impatiently.

"I'm going to need all of you there when I speak to her," he said and Arthur knew immediately who he was speaking about.

"Don't involve her Cobb," Arthur said quickly.

"Who? Who is she?" Ariadne asked letting her curiosity get the best of her.

She had never seen Arthur talk to Cobb so firmly.

"She's my sister Riley," Cobb said and Arthur looked upset as her name left his lips; like he had just revealed a big secret.

"Riles? Oh man how is the little darlin? Haven't seen her in the longest!" Eames said grinning.

"You have a sister?" Saito asked a bit shocked.

"You never mentioned her," he added.

Cobb nodded.

"We haven't spoken in a while…" he said and went quiet.

"Why do you need all of us there?" Ariadne asked confused.

"Like I said…we haven't spoke in a while," Cobb repeated.

"But we need her on the team. Why?" Saito asked.

"Because I can't do the inception without her," Cobb said quietly.

"Cobb, don't do this," Arthur tried desperately once more.

"I'm sorry Arthur but if I want to go home, I need her with me. See…I've done inception before, that was truth, but I didn't do it alone. Riley helped me. Without her, if something goes wrong—well let's just say that with Riley there…she's good with damage control," Cobb finally managed to get out what he was trying to say.

Arthur's eyes widened. He hadn't known she had helped Cobb with the inception. Ariadne could tell this wasn't an easy subject for Cobb or Arthur.

"So let's go get her," Saito said standing up.

"It's not that easy. She's going to resist," Cobb said still sitting.

"What do you mean? She is your family," Saito said annoyed.

"Just because we have the same blood, doesn't necessarily make us a close family. I don't think she'll help me," Cobb said looking down.

"But it's to be with your kids again," Ariadne said quietly.

Cobb looked at her.

"You don't understand. I wasn't the best brother; I made her do some bad things for me and I regret that. I messed up her life when I asked her to do that last inception so when we see each other again and I ask her to help do _this_ inception…she's not going to be too thrilled," he finished shaking his head.

"Well you'll just have to persuade her to come with us," Saito said and Arthur stood up.

"He's not going to _persuade_ her to do anything," he said in a low growl glaring at Saito.

Arthur just didn't entirely trust the man. Eames furrowed his eyebrows at Arthur's hostility. Cobb groaned inwardly.

"Arthur, calm down. We'll handle this the right way," Cobb said standing and motioning for the two men to sit back down.

"She stays at the University," Cobb said and Ariadne frowned.

"She goes to my school?" Ariadne asked curiously.

"No, she just _stays_ there. It's a long story, one that isn't necessary to hear right now. We have to go now. Getting her to come with us may take some time," Cobb said standing up.

"I'm going to need you all with me on this," Cobb added quietly and headed for the exit.

"It's been a long time since I've seen the little darlin. This should be fun," Eames said grinning.

The group started heading out and Ariadne noticed Arthur was not following them.

"Arthur, are you coming?" she asked confused.

Arthur shook his head.

"I don't want any part of this," he said angrily.

"He's just going to ask her to help us with the inception," Ariadne shrugged.

"No, he's going to try to force her and I'm not going to stand there and watch it happen," he said firmly.

Ariadne stared at him. The usually calm, cool, and collected man was hostile and on edge.

"Well wouldn't you want to be there to make sure that doesn't happen?" Ariadne tried a different tactic.

Arthur looked at her then.

"She doesn't deserve what he's about to do to her, she's already been through enough," he said and stopped talking.

There was a short pause before he spoke again.

"I'll go, but just to keep the peace," he said standing up and grabbing his jacket.

Ariadne was surprised by his words.

"Keep the peace?" Ariadne questioned.

"Cobb is going to try to catch her in a dream. But she's smart. She'll see him coming and she'll catch him first. I'm going to make sure no one gets hurt too bad," Arthur said almost smiling.

"How do you know all this?" Ariadne asked curiously.

"I've been with those two longer than the others. Over the years I've learned that Cobb may be the best extractor but Riley's the best, period," he said and Ariadne's eyes widened.

"You speak so highly of her…" Ariadne noticed.

"She's a good friend of mine," Arthur said and headed for the door.

Ariadne followed still a little curious.

**At the University…**

They walked into his room and he sighed upon seeing them.

"I have no more architects for you Dom," Stephen Miles said shaking his head.

Cobb smiled at his father-in-law.

"I'm not here for that Stephen. Ariadne is working out just fine," Cobb said smirking.

Miles seemed to take a breath after seeing Ariadne waving to him.

"Good to see you again Ariadne. How's everything going?" he asked one of his best and brightest students.

"Uh, good so far Professor," she said nodding and Miles let out a small, sad smile.

"Well that's good. Why are you all here then?" he asked moving on.

"I need to speak with Riley," Cobb said and Miles went tense.

"Absolutely not," he said and started collecting things off his desk hurriedly.

"Miles, I can't do this without her. I need to go home and she has to help me get there," Cobb almost pleaded.

Miles shook his head.

"I want no part of this…you know where she is," he said and headed for the door quickly.

Before he exited he turned to Cobb.

"Hasn't that girl suffered enough?" he asked almost bitterly and left without waiting for an answer.

The team headed for the dorms and Cobb entered a specific password into the door lock successfully opening it. They walked into her room and Cobb stopped short. Riley was lying on her futon, her arm hooked up to a box. She was in her dream. Cobb almost smiled. _So she still used the dream share huh?_ _Old habits die hard. _He made his way towards her and sat down rolling up his sleeve.

"This isn't a good idea, I hope you see that," Arthur said and Eames walked passed him, rolling up his sleeve as well.

"I've always wanted to see what Riles dreamed about," he said ready for anything.

Arthur rolled his eyes and as everyone got ready to go into the dream he reluctantly joined them.

_**In Riley's Dream…**_

The team was standing right where they were in her room except Riley wasn't there.

"What is this?" Saito said confused.

"She knows we're here already. She's replicated the entire room from memory. That's a dangerous move…recreating from memory," Cobb said amazed.

He headed for the door and realized there was no knob.

"She's trying to trap us," Eames said chuckling.

He then proceeded to throw his body into the door when it changed from a wooden door to a steal door. Eames bounced back from the impact and fell to the floor.

"Ouch," he groaned as Yusuf helped him up.

"How did that happen? How did she do that? She just changed the door mid-dream!" Ariadne said in shock.

Cobb nodded.

"She's an extremely lucid dreamer. Her minds been thoroughly trained for this kind of thing. Her advancement exceeds expectations. Riley! Are you going to let us out so we can talk or are you going to keep us here forever?" Cobb called out to his younger sister.

"_You_ of all people shouldn't joke about forever in a dream. I could keep you imprisoned here forever if I wanted. Then with a timed kick you'd wake up and only minutes would have passed but I would be long gone," a voice said but no body was connected to it.

The walls of the room began to shake and then started to crumble. As the walls fell bars replaced them. They were in a cell. A young woman stood on the opposite side of the cell. She had long, dark brown hair and bright green eyes. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun. She wore an orange shirt and black jeans that went nicely with her fair complexion. She leaned against a pole staring at the group. They were in the streets of Paris by the University.

"Where's Nash?" she asked looking at the group one by one.

"He no longer works with us. This is Ariadne our new architect," Cobb said tentatively.

Riley scoffed.

"So you finally smartened up and got rid of the bastard. Good job, he would have gotten you or Arthur killed sooner or later. I hope you took care of all the loose ends he came with," she said.

"You know that's not how I—" Cobb tried but Saito cut him off.

"—he was dealt with accordingly," Saito chimed in.

"Who are you?" Riley turned her attention to Saito.

"This is Saito and this is Yusuf," Cobb explained pointing to a shy Yusuf.

Saito. Riley knew that name vaguely. It dawned on her then that her last job with Cobb and Arthur revolved around Saito. The COBOL job, they had labeled the extraction.

"You already know Eames and Arthur," Cobb added breaking her from her thoughts.

"I do. So what do you want?" she asked becoming impatient.

"Saito's promised me full clearance into the U.S. to go home and be with my kids if I complete this job for him. It would be my last," Cobb started.

Riley's eyes widened and a small smile fell on her lips.

"That's great Dom," she said truly happy for her brother.

The bars slowly started to come down to let the team out. She had thought he had come for her but he had just come to tell her this great news. She mentally hit herself for automatically thinking the worst of him.

"I came here because I need your help. He wants me to perform inception on his competitor," Cobb said after a short pause.

Riley's small smile faded fast though her eyes remained wide. The bars stopped coming down. The people walking in the street going about their business froze mid step and turned to stare at the group behind the bars. Everything in the dream world stopped. Riley stared at Cobb unblinkingly. She took the mental hit back. She was right to imprison him. He had come for her.

Ariadne stared at the frozen landscape and people. She was controlling them all? How was that possible? She had total control over her own dreams.

"I know what you're thinking, I know, but Riley if I do this one last job I can go home. I can be with my kids. I can see their faces again," he pleaded.

Riley turned away from him. Thunder rumbled behind some buildings in the back. Cobb gripped onto the bars tightly, the cold steel cooling his sweaty palms. _So her emotions were connected to the weather in the dream? __**She really was a god here.**_

"We swore to never do it again," she said, her back still turned from him.

Cobb let his head lean against the bars. He was feeling defeated.

"I need you with me on this Riley. You're the only one who can do it besides me! Please! I'm not asking you I'm begging you! For my kids Riley! For your niece and nephew! Please!" he begged desperately.

It began raining. Riley covered her mouth to stop her soft sobs. Arthur gritted his teeth. He hated this. Suddenly, classical music softly started playing out of nowhere. Riley looked up.

"I have to go. Don't come after me, okay?" she said weakly turning back to him.

"Don't do this. You're my last shot at going home a free man," Cobb pleaded.

"I made a promise—" she started but Cobb cut her off.

"—to me! You made a promise to me! So if I'm asking you to break that promise then it doesn't count!" he yelled frustrated.

"Do you realize what you're asking me to do? You want me to go inside this guy's head and plant an idea! Do you know how dangerous that is? There are consequences Dom! You should know this!" she roared.

"I know it better than anyone! But I'll do it to see my kids again! I'll do it!" he shot back.

"Then do it! No one's stopping you! You know how! Do it then!" she screamed.

The thunder boomed louder and closer than before. Cobb hit the bars and turned around. Riley closed her eyes. The music was still playing.

"I'm not going to have much time to get away after I wake up because once I open my eyes my dream will collapse and you will wake up right after. I should have just enough time to leave the room though. Getting lost in the crowd shouldn't be too hard. I've gotten used to disappearing real fast. I wish you luck Dom…I really do," she said and took off down the road disappearing around the corner.

_**End Dream. **_

Riley opened her eyes and sat up slowly. Her body was stiff but soon the stiffness faded and she looked around. The others were still fast asleep. She quickly grabbed a small bag from underneath her bed. She opened the door and stopped short. She turned and looked at Arthur's sleeping form. She bit her lip and ran out, closing the door behind her.

Cobb woke up right after the door closed. Riley was gone. He was devastated but still insisted that they go to Sydney the next day.

**Thoughts? Like the new character? Into the story? Let me know! I love reviews!**


	2. Chapter 2

**The next chapter of Inception is up! I hope you like it! Let me know!**

**At a Motel…**

Cobb wanted the team to stay together until they left in the morning and so they all decided to shack up at a nearby motel close to the warehouse.

Arthur had just stepped out of a shower when he heard a knock at his door. He wrapped a towel tightly around his waist and headed for the door quickly. He opened it ready to greet who he thought was Cobb, but instead he was completely shocked with who he came face to face with.

"Riley?" Arthur asked in disbelief.

Her eyes widened some. He was in nothing but a towel and he was dripping wet. She was thankful no one was in her head at that moment.

"Uh hey, um, I'm…I'm sorry I didn't-I didn't know you were in the shower. This was a bad idea," she said too quickly and mentally hit herself for it.

"No it's fine I was actually just finishing up. Do you want to come in?" he asked stepping back so she could enter.

Riley shook her head.

"It's really late actually. I don't really know what I was thinking. I-I shouldn't have come here," she said still mentally hitting herself.

Arthur smiled slightly and raised an eyebrow.

"Riley, will you please come in? I won't tell anyone you're here I promise," he said and after a brief hesitation she walked inside.

"Let me just throw some clothes on and I'll be right out," he said as he headed to the bathroom.

Riley sat down on the edge of the bed and waited. She watched the door to his room unconsciously. If someone came in she would have to make a run for it. She noted the exits. She stared at the room number on his door. Room 491.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that argument earlier today," Riley said loud enough for Arthur to hear but also consciously aware that some of the team was right next door.

Arthur came out of the bathroom. His hair was slicked back and all Riley could think about was how she wanted to mess it up.

"Yeah, argument, that's a nice way of putting it," he said rolling his eyes.

"How would you put it?" Riley asked smiling.

"You two have some serious issues you need to deal with but choose not to because neither one of you will talk about what happened since it happened," Arthur said bluntly.

Riley looked down.

"Does she still show up?" she asked quietly.

Arthur nodded taking a seat on the bed beside her.

"Yeah. More frequently unfortunately," Arthur said and Riley's eyes saddened.

"I don't know what to do," Riley mumbled quietly.

Arthur stared at her calmly. He was happy she was here but he had to take baby steps with her. She could run again and he didn't want that. Riley glanced up at him and gave a weak smile.

"What should I do?" she asked him helplessly.

"You know I can't answer that," he said shaking his head slowly.

Riley held his gaze.

"If you were me…what would _you_ do?" she asked attempting a different tactic.

Arthur thought about his answer.

"Cobb is my friend. I just want to help him get back to his kids," he said after a short pause.

"Me too," Riley said nodding.

A comfortable silence fell between them.

"So you think I should help with the inception?" she asked after a while.

"I didn't say that," he said and Riley sighed.

"I can't tell you what to do. My answer would be selfish. I know what I should say and I know what I want to say," he said and Riley shook her head.

"Well how about saying something then?" she asked frustrated.

Arthur took her hand in his and held it tightly in his lap. He stared at the floor. He seemed to be thinking of how to say what he wanted to say.

"If you help us, we all have a greater chance to go home. Cobb said that this was his last job, which means it would be my last job. We could live normal, boringly real lives without having to constantly look over our shoulder or carry around totems to let us know if we're dreaming or not. We can be happy and we can do that together just you and me. It's something we've talked about before and I haven't stopped thinking about it after all this time. I want to be with you and this is how to do that. If Cobb doesn't take this job who knows when or if we'll ever get home or even see each other again?" he stopped speaking.

"That was my selfish answer. On the other hand, I'm well aware of what the last job did to you. And if you come with us you'll be subject to things you have been trying to forget for a long time now. Also, we could possibly be ruining a man's life," he added.

"It really all depends on how you look at the situation you have before you. Opportunity or obligation?" he said and now he could feel her squeezing his hand tightly.

He looked at her then and his eyes widened when he saw that a light trail of tears had fallen from her eyes onto her cheeks. She was staring straight ahead at the door. He let go of her hand and carefully wiped a small tear from her cheek with his thumb.

"Riley…" he whispered concerned.

Riley managed to look at him. Her eyes sparkled in the dim lighting of the room. She smiled and let out a soft chuckle.

"I'm sorry. I'm a mess," she said wiping at her cheeks.

Arthur shook his head.

"You're a _beautiful _mess," he whispered and she rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Thank you," she mouthed and their lips connected before either knew what was happening.

Riley had meant for it to be a small, short kiss but when their lips touched she realized just how much she missed his lips on hers. She didn't pull away but deepened the kiss letting her hands touch his face gently. When they pulled away for air he let his head lean against hers. His eyes were closed and she could tell he missed her as much as she missed him.

"Can you stay the night?" he asked, his eyes still closed, his forehead still against hers.

Riley felt his hot breath on her cheek. She shivered slightly.

"I can stay the night," she said against his lips and their mouths connected again for another fervent kiss.

This time Arthur's hands found their way to her cheeks and deepened the kiss. Riley's hands went up to the first button of his shirt quickly undoing it and working her way down, pulling his shirt off and throwing it to the floor. Arthur pulled at her shirt that easily slid off and found its way on the floor next to his.

His body was so warm she noted. She fell back onto the bed with Arthur not far behind, climbing on top of her. Soon the rest of their clothes were discarded on the floor and they were making passionate love under the sheets.

Afterwards, Riley lay on the pillow facing him. They were both trying to catch their breath from their recent activities. She scooted closer to him on the bed and he let his arm snake around her keeping her to him.

"If I'm not here in the morning, will you hate me?" she asked quietly.

"Never," Arthur said brushing some hair behind her ear.

Riley smiled faintly.

"I'm sorry I ran that day," she said suddenly.

"You did what you had to do Riley. I just wish I could have seen how bad it affected you instead of shrugging it off like I did," he said and Riley took his face in her hands.

Their eyes met.

"Don't do that. Don't blame yourself for something you had nothing to do with. It was all Dom," she said letting her fingers softly caress his cheek.

"I should have told you once I realized he didn't," Arthur said shaking his head.

"Yeah, knowing would have been helpful. But again…it wasn't your place anyway. Dom should have told me. He compromised the whole job," she said quietly.

"It feels like it was yesterday," Arthur said remembering back.

Riley nodded.

"Tell me about it," she mumbled.

"Do not let it haunt you though," she whispered.

"It haunts me every night. Never fails," he said and Riley's eyes saddened.

"I'm sorry I made you do it. I should have just held out," she said letting her hands move to his shoulders.

"You were hurting Riley. You were in pain and honestly I'm glad I did it because seeing you in that much pain was difficult to watch, especially when I couldn't do a damn thing about it. It was well worth the nightmares," he added.

Riley kissed his cheek and he looked at her.

"You just have to convince yourself that what you did wasn't real. I'm still here and I'm alive and you have to let it go," she said and Arthur nodded looking down at the sheets.

"What were you doing in your dream today? Recreating dreams from memory? You know how dangerous that is. And every detail was in place which means that wasn't the first time you did it. You know that you always create something new. Never create from memory. You taught me that. I don't want you to—"

"—I won't become Mal. I promise," she said quickly and he looked back up at her.

"Then stop creating from memory. Please," he said quietly.

Riley smiled slightly.

"Arthur, since we've been apart I've done some things. Things I'm not proud of. But I've never forgotten what's real and what's a dream and I won't," she said firmly.

Arthur traced her lips and then her eyes.

"I just want to see the light in your eyes again and the happiness when you smile. I miss those things," he said and she smiled wider.

"Almost," he said and she chuckled.

"I love you so much," she said without thinking.

Arthur was a little taken back by her statement. They had never said it to one another before. It was always something they just understood and that was that. But she had said it. This was big for them. He smiled warmly.

"Well I love you too," he said and she beamed.

"There's that smile," he pointed out and she giggled kissing him sweetly.

Soon they fell asleep, their feet tangled together.

**The Next Day… **

Riley woke up before Arthur. She carefully slipped out of bed and collected her clothes. After she dressed she headed for the door but stopped. She turned back and stared at the young man lying in the bed. Her eyes saddened. She left the room.

To exit she had to pass the small lounge in the motel. She spotted Cobb lying on a futon alone hooked up to that damn dream share. She bit her lip. It was decision time. She walked over and pulled a futon next to his. She lay down cautiously slow and hooked herself up to the dream share.

_**In Cobb's Dream… **_

She was at the beach. It was hot and she watched as the water crashed against the rocks. She spotted him in the sand sitting and watching the water. She walked up to him until she stood behind him about ten feet away.

"Dom?" she called out meekly.

Cobb froze and turned around quickly.

"Riley," he said in pure disbelief.

Riley looked around cautiously. She hated being in his head. She knew who was waiting for her; who would always be waiting for her.

"What are you doing?" she asked still tense.

She shifted her feet back and forth and let her hands dig into her pockets.

"Remembering," he whispered.

"What are you doing?" he asked back.

"Reconsidering," she said after some time.

"What?" he asked about to stand up but she stopped him and actually sat down next to him.

"It's for my own selfish reasons really. I want you to see Phillipa and James again without a doubt, but I also want to settle down and stop running myself," she said not looking at him but at the ocean.

Cobb couldn't look away from her. He watched every motion her face made.

"I don't regret running with you, that's not what I'm saying. I wanted to help you cope with what happened. I felt responsible that I let it go too far and did nothing to stop it. But you have to understand my concerns about this particular mission for this particular man," she said still staring out into the ocean.

Cobb listened. He dared not ruin his chances of having her come aboard to help them.

"I'm so tired Dom. I'm so tired of dreaming my brain hurts. I want to live normal, boringly real lives with the people I love," she said softly her eyes watering.

"And if this really is your last job. If after this we can be free of our dreams…I'll help you this one last time," she said finally looking at him.

Cobb's eyes widened and he was hugging her before he knew it. She hugged him back tightly.

"I will make this up to you," he said holding her closer if that was possible.

Riley rested her chin on his shoulder.

"I know…" she said in a whisper.

Riley felt Cobb go ridged then. She pulled away and saw that he was looking far off behind her. She turned as dread filled her stomach.

Mal.

"We have to get out of here Riley. She—" but Riley cut him off.

"—it's okay," she said turning back to him and away from the gaining Mal.

"I learned a couple of new things while we were apart," she said and Cobb frowned in confusion.

Mal was fifty feet away from them and coming fast.

"One of the things I'm steadily learning is…control," she whispered as Mal came closer.

Cobb was about to say something when a wave of about fifty feet rose from the ocean over them. Riley turned to Mal.

"See you later," she said as Mal raised the knife and gallons of water fell on all of them.

_**End Dream. **_

Riley's eyes opened quickly. Her heart was racing even though she appeared calm. She didn't move. She was trying to slow her heart rate down to a normal level. She felt the small beads of sweat on her temple. Cobb's face came into view suddenly.

"Are you alright?" he asked concerned.

She realized more people were in the lounge now. Arthur and Ariadne were there. They looked concerned. She must have lost the color in her face. Cobb took her face in his hands and made her look at him.

"Are you okay?" he asked again.

Riley managed a nod. Cobb's eyes saddened.

"I'm sorry she came at you like that," he said and Riley shook her head.

"Its fine, I'm fine," she said sitting up slowly.

Her heart rate was easing to normal now.

"It was just…weird seeing her again," she said after a while.

"Tell me about it," Arthur chimed in.

"She's a very angry individual," Ariadne mumbled and Riley chuckled.

"You met her?" she asked Ariadne.

Ariadne nodded.

"Yeah, she's a real charmer," she added.

Riley nodded chuckling again and making Ariadne chuckle.

"So…when do we start training?" Riley asked standing up.

Cobb smirked.

"We leave today for Sydney. Eames will observe Fischer's godfather Browning. We'll also get in some training. We'll all pair off into groups of two. You and I, Arthur and Ariadne, and Eames and Saito. Yusuf will monitor us and stay awake but we will have to bring him in eventually," Cobb said as Yusuf, Eames, and Saito joined the small group.

Riley had to admit she was nervous entering Cobb's head or even having him enter hers. Mal was everywhere Cobb was except when they were awake. But Riley had a secret weapon that she wouldn't use unless completely necessary.

"Alright now we have a plane to catch," Cobb said and off to Sydney they went.

**Thoughts? Let me know! I love reviews!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Of course, since this is my take on the movie some things are different including place and of course characters. Trust me and just go with it. I can almost promise you will not be disappointed. The next chapter of Inception is up! I hope you like it! Let me know!**

**In Sydney…Makeshift Lab/Warehouse…**

_**In Arthur's Dream… **_

Arthur and Ariadne walked through a glass building and up a staircase that seemed to never end.

"You showed me Paradoxical architecture already," Ariadne reminded him.

"I am aware of that," Arthur said casually.

"So why are you showing it to me again?" she asked curiously.

"It's a process. To remember a process it's always good to repeat it a couple of times," Arthur went on.

"That way, you don't even have to think of it when the time comes for you to use it. You just know when it's coming and you're ready," he added.

"That makes sense I guess," Ariadne shrugged.

"It keeps you aware of what's going on around you as well as what's right in front of you. I can locate paradoxical architecture as soon as we enter a dream. It proves useful when you're being chased which is usually the case in our line of work," Arthur said and Ariadne nodded making a mental note of it.

"Can I ask you something?" Ariadne asked quietly.

Arthur nodded.

"Sure, is there something I should clarify?" he asked and Ariadne shook her head.

"No I got the whole concept of paradoxical architecture. This is more of a…personal question," she said and Arthur looked at her.

"What's the question?" he asked curiously.

"Riley left the team recently, right?" Ariadne asked quickly.

Arthur's face remained blank.

"What do you mean?" he played dumb.

"Well I was thinking about what happened yesterday and I just get this feeling that she wasn't gone for a long time but_ just_ left," Ariadne tried to clarify.

"When her and Cobb speak they sound as if they haven't spoken in years but I don't know about that," Ariadne went on.

"She left a couple of weeks before we met Saito," he said after a short pause.

"That wasn't too long ago at all," Ariadne said shocked.

"Yeah but Riley and Cobb have had an extremely fragile relationship ever since Mal died and that's been for a while. So they continued to work together after she died but the relationship is distant so it sounds like they haven't spoken in years," Arthur clarified.

"I see," Ariadne said quietly.

"They did an inception together," she went on.

Arthur nodded.

"I didn't know anything about that. I thought inception was impossible before Cobb said he had done it before. And I didn't know she helped him until you did," he said softly.

"She never spoke about it with me and I wouldn't have forced her if I knew about it. I don't want her to have to relive bad memories. She already has so many," he added.

There was a short silence as they walked. Ariadne wanted to ask more questions but felt as if she imposed enough.

"You're very protective of her," Ariadne said and Arthur looked at her again.

"Yeah, she and I are very close," he said carefully.

"So why do you hide your feelings for each other?" Ariadne asked bluntly.

"Excuse me?" Arthur asked surprised.

Ariadne chuckled.

"You guys labeled me the architect. Seeing every little detail makes me pretty observant. I see the way you look at her and how she looks at you," she said nodding.

Arthur smirked.

"No one really knows…and we'd like to keep it that way," Arthur said still smiling.

Ariadne nodded quickly.

"No one will hear it from me," she added.

"Thank you," Arthur said nodding.

"Still doesn't answer my question of why you guys hide it," she mused.

Arthur sighed and Ariadne laughed.

"We like to keep what we can private. When you're in a business like ours, not much is personal. We're not hiding it; we're just being professional about it. It's really not that big of a deal. Maybe when it first happened but now it's as routine as getting up in the morning. It's natural," he explained.

"So this has been going on a while," Ariadne stated.

Arthur nodded.

"We would spend a lot of time together in each others dreams. She taught me a lot of what I'm teaching you now. Cobb was never that great of a teacher, at least back then. We became close friends and when Mal died…" he trailed off as if he had said too much.

"You became closer," Ariadne finished.

Arthur nodded looking back at the floor as he walked.

"She was in a bad place. She showed up at the warehouse that day and she was pretty frantic," he recalled.

_Flashback: _

_Arthur was getting ready to leave. They could have at least called him if they weren't going to show. Then again, he knew it wasn't like them to not show at all or at least call. He closed his briefcase and turned to head for the door. He stopped short when someone ran through it. His eyes widened. She was soaking wet from head to toe. Her shirt was plastered to her body along with her hair and jeans. She looked around frantically and spotted him._

"_Arthur!" she cried almost in relief and ran towards him. _

_Arthur dropped his briefcase and took off towards her. She flew to him and Arthur swore she was running from someone so he kept one eye on the door. Riley grabbed him tightly and hugged him close to her. Arthur didn't mind that she was wet. He didn't even feel it to be honest. She looked at him. Her eyes were wild. Arthur touched her wet cheek concerned. _

"_Riley, what happened? Is someone after you?" he asked knowing that in their line of work that could be the case. _

_Riley trembled as tears flooded her eyes and spilt onto her cheeks. _

"_A-Arthur, Mal's dead," she managed to get out and Arthur froze. _

"_W-What?" he asked not sure he heard her right. _

_Riley pulled away from him and grabbed at her head. _

"_She's dead! She killed herself! She jumped off a fucking building!" she screamed as her knees hit the ground. _

_Arthur was in complete shock. Mal was dead? She killed herself? He moved towards Riley and dropped to his knees beside her. _

"_She incriminated Dom, Arthur. He has to r-run. I'm going with him. I can't leave him alone…not at a time like this," she said shakily. _

_Arthur nodded._

"_Why would she—" but Riley cut him off._

"—_it doesn't matter! We have to leave tonight! Cobb split the team up. Eames is gone already and Nash is no where to be found. I'm so glad I caught you because I wanted to say goodbye—," she said standing up. _

"—_I'm coming with you," he said grabbing his briefcase. _

_Riley stared at him. _

"_B-But your life—" she started but Arthur cut her off._

"—_is with you. You and Cobb are the closest family I have. Where you go, I go," he said firmly. _

_Riley took his hand tightly. She would not admit how relieved she was in that moment that he was coming with her, with them. _

"_We have to leave now. A plane is waiting for us," she said and they ran out into the rain. _

_End Flashback._

Ariadne processed it all.

"So you went with them just like that?" she asked.

"They're like my family. I would do anything for them," he said without any doubt.

"Now that's loyalty," Ariadne said nodding.

"They would do the same for me," Arthur said surely.

"You're pretty confident about that," Ariadne smirked.

Arthur smirked back.

"I am."

"Listen, why don't you and Riley hook up to the dream share and let her show you some things? You didn't hear this from me, but if you want to learn and learn well, then get into a dream with Riley," he said turning to her.

Ariadne thought about it. While in thought she barely heard Arthur.

"Remember this is a paradox. The stairs end eventually," he said and Ariadne screamed as the stairs ran out but she kept walking.

_**End Dream. **_

Ariadne's eyes shot open and she sat up. Arthur sat up beside her a moment later.

"You could have warned me a little sooner!" she whined.

Arthur chuckled.

"Sorry," he managed to get out.

They both looked over when they heard a gasp. Riley flew up from the arm chair and pulled the thin tube connecting her to the dream share out of her arm. She felt around her body quickly checking for wounds. Cobb woke up a moment later.

"Riley, I'm so sorry," he said apologetically.

Riley took in a deep breath. She was trembling some. She didn't look at Cobb.

"Riley—" but she cut him off.

"—how does she just come out of no where?" Riley asked a little shocked.

She saw Dom's face and calmed some.

"I'm fine Dom. Really I'm f-fine I just-I just need a minute," she said shakily.

Arthur walked over to her and took her shaking hands gently. She slowly looked up at him.

"I think I need a break from Dom's dreams for a little while…" she murmured.

Arthur nodded.

"Why don't we switch? I know Ariadne wanted you to show her some stuff. I'll go with Cobb," Arthur said while rubbing her palms with his thumbs.

Riley shook her head.

"I don't want you in there with _her_," she said and Arthur smiled.

So she was protective of him too. He liked it.

"I'll be fine. I've dealt with her before," he said and Riley bit her lip.

"If you see her, shoot her yourself. Dom hesitates," she said glaring at Cobb and rubbing her stomach.

Arthur smiled.

"Noted."

**Thoughts? Let me know! I love reviews! The next chapter will be a series of flashbacks within a dream. Try to follow if not I am always open for questions. **


	4. Chapter 4

**The next chapter of Inception is up! I hope you like it! Let me know! Please Review!**

_**In Riley's Dream… **_

The two girls walked along a brick path covered in leaves of different colors. Riley took in a deep breath.

"I love the fall," she said suddenly.

"It's my favorite season," she added looking at Ariadne.

Ariadne smiled.

"I'm definitely more of a winter girl," Ariadne nodded.

Her mouth dropped open a moment later as the leaves turned brown and shriveled up and snow fell from the sky.

"Can I have your coats please?" Riley asked two anonymous girls with heavy coats on.

"Sure," they both said handing the coats right off their backs.

Riley handed one to Ariadne and the young girl put it on in shock. Perfect fit.

"How did you—" but Riley already knew.

"—I'm a lucid dreamer. I can tell when I'm dreaming and when I'm awake. I don't need a totem that you and the others carry. And because of this I can control certain aspects of a dream whether it be my own or someone else's," she explained.

Ariadne was still in shock but managed a nod. Riley laughed.

"Don't look so shocked. I've had a lot more practice than the others. It's normal that I can do things they can't," she added.

Ariadne seemed to get lost in her thoughts. The silence was peaceful in the light snow shower. After some time walking she spoke.

"Can I ask you something totally personal and none of my business?" she asked bluntly.

Riley laughed.

"Sure," she said smiling.

"What happened between you and Cobb? Arthur mentioned you two used to be so close," she said looking at Riley.

Riley still smiled but the light in her eyes faded briefly.

"Never mind, that was too personal," Ariadne waved it off.

"No, no I want to answer. It's good to talk about it. And it'll be nice to have another girl around to rant about all the testosterone among us," she said grinning.

Ariadne smiled. She liked Riley.

"After Mal's death we ran, and after we had settled somewhere else, we continued doing extractions for clients willing to pay us _a lot_ of money. The money was good and abundant because we were the best. The day I left them we were doing an extraction that we called the COBOL job," Riley began.

_Flashback: _

_Riley walked up to the two men talking on the sidewalk. When they noticed that she was approaching they stopped talking abruptly. _

"_Well now, that wasn't the least bit suspicious," Riley said rolling her eyes at Cobb and Arthur. _

"_Just planning ahead," Cobb said smirking. _

"_And you're not telling me because?" she asked annoyed. _

"_Because it has nothing to do with what you have to do. Just make sure you get to the roof and plant the explosives," Cobb said firmly walking ahead. _

_Riley rolled her eyes again. She hated it when he pretended he knew more of this than she did. Arthur smiled._

"_Don't let him get to you. He's just having a bad day," Arthur tried. _

"_He's always having a bad day," Riley shot back. _

"_This is a big job for us," Arthur said. _

_Riley nodded. _

"_It's always a big job," she shot back and then smiled lightly. _

_The two followed behind Cobb quietly. Cobb met with one of the tourists. He was a big guy that set up this whole COBOL job. _

"_So this is what Mr. Kaneda dreams about," the COBOL guy said. _

"_This is what we set him up to dream about. Our architect is actually working hard today," Cobb said to the big man. _

"_Or hardly working," Riley mumbled. _

_Arthur smirked. Riley hated Nash. She thought he was a slacker and untrustworthy and hated when Cobb put him on the team. She missed Eames. He never reunited with the group after Mal's death. The group stopped in the lobby of the building. Sirens could be heard coming in the distance. Arthur stopped walking and Riley knew what he was about to do. She turned to him quickly._

"_Be careful. Don't do anything too stupid," she whispered. _

_Arthur smiled. _

"_Wouldn't dream of it," Arthur said and Riley flashed a smile at his comment._

_Cobb, Riley, and the COBOL man proceeded upstairs. Suddenly Riley heard gunfire and she felt a little sick. Cobb leaned over to her. _

"_He's fine," he said and for some reason that reassured her. _

_She nodded once and then they stepped off the elevator. They walked down the hall and came face to face with Nash. _

"_Took you guys long enough," Nash murmured and Riley wanted to kill him._

"_Where's Arthur?" Nash said looking for the man._

"_He's distracting the police downstairs," Cobb said. _

"_It's your turn to get these guys away from us," Riley said looking at Nash._

"_Anything for you beautiful," he smirked and Riley rolled her eyes. _

"_Hey! Over here! I'm not supposed to be over here!" Nash yelled running towards a restricted exit. _

_The workers in the hallway ran after him, leaving Cobb, Riley, and the COBOL man alone in the hallway._

"_Alright now I want to know exactly how we're going to extract the information for Mr. Fischer—" but he didn't finish as Riley shot him in the head. _

_Cobb moved back as the COBOL man fell to the ground. _

"_We don't have much time. Let's move," Cobb said and Riley nodded. _

"_I'll be on the roof. You just get to Mr. Kaneda," she said and ran for the stairs. _

_Cobb proceeded to the office of Mr. Kaneda. Riley shot the roof door open and stepped out onto the roof. It was wide and the view was beautiful. She set her bag down and took out the explosives setting them in their correct positions. She then walked to the ledge, set her stand up and laid her sniper rifle on it. She started firing at the police shooting at Arthur never missing her targets._

"_You're really good at that," a voice came from behind her. _

_Riley froze and fear crept up her spine spreading throughout her body. Arthur noticed the bullets from the roof were no longer helping him. She had stopped firing. Why? NO, Arthur thought as he was hit by a bullet. Riley couldn't breathe but managed to turn around slowly. About ten feet away stood Mal._

"_M-Mal?" Riley whispered in disbelief. _

"_Did you think you got rid of me forever?" she asked and Riley thought she was losing it. _

"_Mal…what are you—" but Mal cut her off._

"—_no you just wanted me to suffer alone forever," she said bitterly. _

"_No…I t-tried to save you. H-How are you here?" Riley asked still stunned and trying to process what she was seeing. _

"_What do you mean how am I here? The same way you're here!" she yelled. _

_Riley flinched._

"_B-But you're dead," Riley said shakily. _

_Mal lifted the gun she had in her hand and aimed. _

"_Can a dead woman shoot a gun?" she asked and pulled the trigger. _

_Riley felt pain erupt within her and she hit the ground hard. She coughed up a lot of blood. Mal stepped over her. _

"_I won't kill you. I want to make you suffer like you have made me suffer!" Mal screamed. _

_Riley felt the hot tears slide down her cheeks. She was having trouble breathing. She was also petrified. She didn't know what the hell was happening. _

_Suddenly another single shot rang out and Riley watched Mal hit the floor. Riley closed her eyes and prayed for death. She felt hands touch her face and a voice became clear to her ears. _

"_Riley? Riley can you hear me?" Arthur yelled. _

_Riley opened her eyes slowly. More tears fell. Arthur wiped them away. _

"_It's okay. It'll all be over soon," he whispered. _

_Riley tried to focus. Her chest was searing. It wasn't everyday she took a bullet in the chest from ten feet away. She didn't even know how she was still alive. She noticed he was bleeding from the mouth. She managed to look down. He was bleeding a lot. _

"_You're h-hurt," she managed. _

_Arthur nodded. _

"_I was being overpowered. When I noticed you stopped firing from the roof I knew something was wrong," he said brushing her hair back. _

_Riley closed her eyes tightly. _

"_Hang in there Riley. The explosives will go off any minute. We'll wake up any second now," he tried. _

_Riley shook her head. _

"_It is s-set to g-go off in f-five m-minutes," she choked out coughing more blood. _

"_P-Please…p-please…k-kill me," she mumbled and Arthur's eyes widened._

_Arthur shook his head uneasily. _

"_I-I can't," he said and Riley wanted to scream but the bullet definitely hit a lung. _

"_P-Please…I c-can't t-take it. It h-hurts," Riley sputtered. _

_Arthur gritted his teeth and slowly reached for the gun lying on the ground. Riley could see he was suffering. She grabbed his hand with what little strength she had left. He looked at her. _

"_I-I'm going t-to wake up," she tried. _

_Arthur nodded weakly. His face had lost all of its color. He was sweating terribly and Riley wasn't sure if it was from the gunshot wound or because he was about to shoot her. He kissed her forehead and stood up. _

"_I'll be right behind you," he said and she nodded and closed her eyes tightly. _

_Arthur aimed and all Riley heard was the gun go off. _

_**Riley's eyes snapped open and she jolted from the cot she was laying on. She was breathing heavily and sweating. She looked to her right and saw Nash was already awake. He grinned and waved. **_

"_**I'm not with them," he said and Riley didn't understand until she was being thrown against the wall roughly. **_

"_**You little bitch! You shot me in the head!" the COBOL man yelled at her holding her against the wall firmly. **_

"_**Hey get off her!" a voice came and hands wretched the COBOL man off of her. **_

_**Arthur shoved the man off and stood in front of her. **_

"_**That's no way to handle a woman asshole," Arthur said, his voice tinted with malice. **_

"_**She shot me in the head!" the COBOL man roared. **_

"_**She had to. You would have ruined everything. I got the job done. We don't need Mr. Kaneda anymore. He said another name. A Mr. Saito, ring a bell?" Cobb asked coolly. **_

_**The COBOL man seemed to recognize the name. **_

"_**We'll be in touch," the COBOL man said and left with his men. **_

_**It wouldn't be the last they see of them. Riley stood planted against the wall. Arthur turned to her after the men left the room. He wanted to touch her but she looked tense and ridged. **_

"_**Riley," Arthur said in a whisper.**_

_**Her eyes met his for a moment and then she looked away. Cobb closed the dream share. **_

"_**We need to move," he said picking it up. **_

"_**Where we going now?" Nash asked slightly annoyed. **_

"_**We're going to pay a visit to Mr. Saito in Tokyo," Cobb said calmly. **_

"_**Fun," Nash said getting ready to follow him. **_

_**Cobb realized then that his sister was still pressed against the wall. Arthur wasn't listening either. **_

"_**Riley, something wrong?" he asked and no one spoke. **_

"_**She's a little frazzled because the COBOL guy almost knocked her lights out," Nash chuckled. **_

"_**Shut up Nash," Arthur said calmly. **_

"_**You shut up," Nash always had the greatest comebacks. **_

_**Cobb walked over to Riley and she moved away. **_

"_**How long has she been in your mind?" she asked suddenly. **_

_**Cobb froze. **_

"_**W-What?" he asked weakly. **_

"_**I want you to explain to me why Mal just shot me in the chest!" Riley screamed. **_

_**Cobb's eyes widened. **_

"_**You saw her? She shot you?" he asked shocked. **_

"_**S-She…she's dead! How was she in your head?" she roared angrily. **_

"_**She's a projection of my subconscious," he said and Riley's eyes widened. **_

"_**A projection…so you made her…she shot me in the chest!" she yelled confused. **_

"_**I don't know why she did that. She's hurt Arthur before too. She just shows up," Cobb tried. **_

_**Riley turned to Arthur.**_

"_**You knew about this?" she asked stunned. **_

"_**I told Cobb to tell you…" Arthur said quietly. **_

_**Riley's heart hurt. **_

"_**He did Riley. I just didn't know how," Cobb backed him up. **_

"_**So you let me find out by getting me shot in the chest during a high stakes job? She told me I was the reason she suffered, which means you think I'm the reason you're suffering, right? Because a projection just projects a host's feelings!" Riley yelled piecing it together. **_

"_**No, I don't blame you for any of it!" Cobb said sternly. **_

"_**But she does and if she does that means you do!" Riley said and she felt the tears sting her eyes.**_

"_**I haven't figured it all out yet!" Cobb tried. **_

"_**That's not good enough!" she shot back. **_

"_**Guys let's just hug it out and move on," Nash grinned. **_

_**Riley whirled on him and hit him square in the face. He didn't deserve it this time but he spoke at the wrong moment. She really wanted to hit Cobb.**_

"_**Riley!" Cobb yelled and Arthur grabbed her as she went to attack Nash again. **_

_**Nash cradled his face on the floor. Riley shrugged Arthur off. **_

"_**Why haven't I seen her before?" she asked angrily. **_

"_**Arthur usually aborts the mission when he knows she's around," Cobb said calmly. **_

_**Riley nodded. She had made up her mind. **_

"_**You guys want to go do another job and get yourselves killed then fine, go, but I'm not going with you. I'm done. I'm done with all of it," she said and headed for the door. **_

_**Cobb turned to Arthur. **_

"_**Go after her. She'll listen to you," he said and Arthur didn't waste a moment as he ran for the door. **_

_**He caught up to her in the lobby. **_

"_**Riley, please wait," he said and she stopped and turned around. **_

"_**I'm sorry I didn't say anything," he said and she shook her head. **_

"_**It wasn't your fault. But I still have to go. Arthur, come with me," she said taking his hands in hers tightly. **_

_**Arthur's eyes widened. **_

"_**We can leave this life behind us. We can live normal, boringly real lives and be happy. **_

_**We can be happy Arthur. Just living our lives instead of constantly living a dream," she said hopefully.**_

_**Arthur stared at her. He wanted to go with her. But something held him back.**_

"_**I can't just leave—" he started but she cut him off.**_

"—_**yes you can. I know you can. Please Arthur, for us; for our future. Do it for us," she said touching his face. **_

_**Arthur closed his eyes. **_

"_**Riley, I want to…I do. But I can't," he said finally. **_

_**Riley's eyes saddened. **_

"_**Why don't you just take some time and think it over?" he asked letting his hand caress her cheek. **_

_**He didn't know it would be the last time he touched her for a while. **_

"_**Okay," she managed. **_

_**Arthur smiled. **_

"_**I'm going to go get our bags. I'll be right back," he said kissing her forehead like always. **_

_**Riley watched him as he jogged out of sight. She then turned and headed for the door. She wouldn't look back. **_

_End Flashback. _

Ariadne took in a deep breath.

"You have no idea," Riley said reading her thoughts.

"I shouldn't have left," she said absentmindedly.

"Did it always get that bad in the dreams?" Ariadne asked quietly.

Riley shook her head.

"Not always. I would rather get shot in a dream hundreds of times then one of us get hurt for real," she said and Ariadne furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Sometimes we'd get hurt in reality rather than in the dream. When an extraction failed, which really it hardly ever did, the mark would wake up before us and, of course, not be too happy we were messing around in his mind," Riley said shaking her head.

Ariadne's eyes widened.

"They would attack you while you were still hooked up to the dream share?" Ariadne said in disbelief.

Riley nodded.

"Not fun," she said.

"That had to suck waking up to that," she said and Riley nodded.

"I remember one time in particular. I didn't go on the job because I was terribly sick. I lived next to Cobb and Mal at the time and was secretly seeing Arthur back then," she started.

**Thoughts? Let me know! I love reviews! The next chapter will continue with a flashback in a dream. Try to follow, if not, I am always open for questions. **


	5. Chapter 5

**The next chapter of Inception is up! I hope you like it! Let me know! Please Review!**

_Flashback: _

_**Riley awoke from a light sleep when she heard her front door close. She glanced at the clock by her bedside and it read 3:00AM. Her eyes widened a little in the darkness. She watched as her room door opened and the figure of a man walked in. Even in the dark she knew it was Arthur. But something was different. **_

"_**Why are you home so late?" she asked, her voice hoarse with sleep and cold. **_

_**Arthur turned to her in the darkness.**_

"_**T-The job took longer than usual," he said and Riley caught the change in his voice. **_

_**It was shaky and strained. **_

"_**Everything okay?" she asked slightly nervous. **_

"_**Yeah, everything's f-fine. I'm just going to shower and then I'll be right there. How are you f-feeling? Any better?" he asked and Riley sat up in bed.**_

"_**So-so, but Arthur are you sure you're okay? You sound different," she said quietly. **_

_**There was a short pause before he answered. **_

"_**N-No Riley…I d-don't think I'm okay…" he managed to get out and Riley watched the dark figure slide to the floor slowly. **_

_**She leaped out of bed ignoring the dizziness in her head. She ran to the other side and flipped on the light blinding her eyes for a minute. When her eyes regained their sight she gasped and lowered herself to the floor beside the bloodied man.**_

"_**What happened?" she asked her voice clearly altered due to her cold. **_

_**Arthur let his head lean against the wall. He was holding his side tightly and blood seeped through his fingers. He was bleeding from the mouth and head and he had bruises forming everywhere. **_

"_**B-Bad extraction," he struggled and Riley's eyes widened. **_

"_**I'm calling an ambulance," she said grabbing the phone on her nightstand. **_

_**Arthur stopped her. **_

"_**And telling t-them what?" he asked hoarsely. **_

"_**That you're bleeding to death! What else?" she screamed at him and then coughed some. **_

_**She shrugged off the dizziness again. **_

"_**It's not all my b-blood," he whispered.**_

_**Riley nodded. **_

"_**Trust me. I have it under control," she said and he let her hand go.**_

_**She dialed 911. After she was finished yelling at the operator she hung up. **_

"_**Help is on its way," she said to him. **_

_**Arthur nodded and then cried out in pain as she pressed her hand to his side.**_

"_**Sorry, but you're not strong enough to stop the bleeding right now and you're losing too much blood," she said to him trying to be soft. **_

_**Arthur opened his eyes somewhat. **_

"_**You l-look t-terrible," he said staring at her red nose and watery, puffy eyes.**_

_**Riley managed a laugh. **_

"_**You don't look too hot yourself," she shot back smiling at the injured man. **_

_**She heard sirens in the background and thanked god they were fast. There was a loud knock at the door and Riley panicked again. She couldn't leave Arthur, he would bleed out. **_

"_**Just break it opened!" she screamed as loud as her voice would get her with this cold. **_

_**They had to have heard her because the next thing she knew her door was being broken off its hinges. She threw on her red robe and sneakers and followed the stretcher out the door. **_

"_**Ma'am, are you family?" the EMT asked. **_

_**Riley wanted to hit him. **_

"_**Of course!" she lied and the EMT let her in the ambulance with him. **_

_**Riley quickly pulled out her cell phone and dialed Cobb's house. No answer. **_

"_**Mal will t-take c-care of him," Arthur said in a whisper. **_

_**Riley nodded.**_

_At the Hospital…_

_**Riley waited as patiently as she could in the waiting room. They had brought Arthur into surgery immediately. The doctors let her clean herself up and she had answered all the police's questions. They were looking for a group of boys out for men in suits. She was sick and it was the best lie she could think of in that moment. She finally forced herself to sit down when she saw a familiar face coming her way. She shot up and ran to her. **_

"_**Mallory!" she said as she grabbed the other woman into a hug. **_

"_**They are the biggest idiots on the planet!" Mal said and Riley agreed. **_

"_**How could they do this to us? You're sick with a terrible cold and I'm pregnant and they just have to make it about them," she said and Riley laughed. **_

_**Mal smiled. **_

"_**How's Arthur?" she asked as the two sat down. **_

"_**He was hurt real bad. I think they stabbed him. They definitely hit him a whole lot. I wouldn't be surprised if he has internal injuries," Riley began to panic. **_

_**Mal put an arm around her. **_

"_**Same with Cobb. I always say not the face," she joked and Riley laughed again. **_

"_**So what was Arthur doing in your house?" she asked smirking as Riley blushed. **_

"_**I guess he didn't know where else to go," she lied. **_

_**Mal nodded. **_

"_**I see. Well he could have just gone with Cobb. I would have gotten them both here," she said knowing she had Riley cornered.**_

_**Riley turned to Mal quickly. **_

"_**Well you're pregnant and—don't say anything please! We've been trying to keep it private for a while. We do not need the extra stress of everyone knowing," she begged and Mal chuckled. **_

"_**You mean the extra stress of Eames knowing," she laughed and Riley stared at her.**_

_**She stopped laughing quickly. **_

"_**I will not tell a soul, I promise," she said and Riley smiled.**_

"_**Thank you," Riley said and they began the long wait.**_

_About 5 Hours Later…_

_**Riley shot up along with Mal as the doctor came towards them. He smiled.**_

"_**They made it through the surgery," he said and Riley thought she'd collapse. **_

"_**They are in recovery. The wounds they suffered were pretty severe and they'll need to be off their feet for a while. They're asking for you two respectively and you can see them now. I'll bring all the paperwork by for you two to handle. They may be out of it now and then but that's okay. They've been through a lot," the doctor said and walked off. **_

_**Mal hugged Riley tight. **_

"_**Thank god," she said relieved. **_

"_**Give Arthur my love, okay?" Mal asked as she headed for Cobb's room.**_

"_**Sure, tell Dom I'll visit a little later," Riley said and the two women went their separate ways. **_

_**Riley walked into Arthur's room and didn't know what to do first, hug him or yell at him. Arthur flashed a small grin and she settled on hugging him. She planted a soft kiss on his cheek and backed up quickly. He looked confused. **_

"_**I'm sick. I don't want you to get any worse," she mumbled and Arthur shook his head. **_

"_**I'll be fine," he whispered but she sat in the chair next to him anyway. **_

_**She glanced at his chart and read through it. **_

"_**You have three broken ribs, four bruised ribs; you had a dislocated shoulder, a knife wound that didn't hit anything vital, bruises to the cranium and some internal bleeding. Well at least they left your legs untouched," she said sarcastically. **_

_**Arthur smirked. **_

"_**Stop looking at that," he said after a while. **_

_**Riley looked up at him slowly. **_

"_**You scared me today. The realities of what can happen with a failed extraction are haunting me," she said smiling sadly.**_

"_**Stop thinking about it. I'm alive and healing. No use thinking about what ifs," he said and Riley nodded.**_

"_**Why don't you go home? You're sick and you need your rest," he said touching her hand that rested on his bed. **_

_**Riley glanced down at their touching hands. **_

"_**Well you should have thought of that before going on an extraction without me. My whole job is to make sure everything goes according to plan. That's why I'm labeled the Director. I direct everything and make sure nothing goes wrong…and if they do I fix them so they don't get worse. I'm staying," she said and Arthur smiled. **_

"_**Well I'll make a note of all that for next time," he said and she smiled some. **_

_**Arthur suddenly looked very sleepy. Riley became concerned. **_

"_**It's okay. The doctor said I'd be in and out," he murmured as his eyes closed and he fell asleep. **_

_**Riley watched his breathing for a while. She was scared it would stop. After a while her own eyes were closing and before she knew it she was encompassed in darkness. **_

_Morning… _

_**Riley woke up to severe shaking.**_

"_**What?" she mumbled as her eyes finally opened. **_

"_**Oh thank god!" Mal said covering her mouth and looking up as if thanking someone up there. **_

_**Riley furrowed her eyebrows. **_

"_**What's wrong?" she asked sitting up but was stopped by two strong hands. **_

"_**Take it easy there Ms. Cobb. Tell me how you're feeling," the doctor asked. **_

_**Riley looked at him confused. Then she looked around. Mal had tears in her eyes and Cobb was there looking worried on his crutches. She spotted Arthur and her eyes widened some. His eyes were red and slightly puffy. He looked terrible. **_

"_**I feel—I feel okay…tired maybe," she answered distracted. **_

"_**It took you a while to wake up there and you frightened a couple of people that care about you," the doctor said and Riley blinked a couple of times. **_

"_**I wouldn't wake up?" she asked. **_

_**The doctor nodded. **_

"_**We had this one practically shaking you when we came in and your brother looked like he was going to start smacking you awake," the doctor smiled pointing to Arthur and Cobb respectively. **_

"_**I'm sorry," she whispered. **_

"_**You have a terrible cold and thought it was okay to leave your house in a short robe and sneakers. You could have caught pneumonia. You are very lucky Ms. Cobb," the doctor said sternly. **_

_**Riley nodded. So maybe her wardrobe wasn't the best but she really wasn't thinking of it at the time. The doctor left and Cobb spoke. **_

"_**Are you crazy? Do you want to die?" he asked and Riley shook her head. **_

"_**Do you?" she shot back.**_

"_**What were you thinking? You shouldn't have done an extraction without me. Everything that went wrong did and you had no one to bail you out. You could have gotten yourself or Arthur killed!" she snapped at him. **_

_**Cobb stopped talking. **_

"_**I'm sorry," he said quietly. **_

"_**You're forgiven," she said quickly and Mal smiled. **_

"_**Don't give us a scare like that anymore. No more scares for any of us," Mal said and helped Cobb out of the room. **_

_**Riley turned to Arthur who still seemed a little distraught. **_

"_**Come here," he said in a whisper. **_

_**Riley shook her head. **_

"_**I'm sick—" she started but Arthur cut her off. **_

"—_**I don't care. Please just come here," he asked and she crawled carefully into bed with him. **_

_**He gently wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his body. **_

"_**Someone could walk in," she said very content in his arms. **_

"_**Let them," he said and buried his face in her hair taking in a shaky but deep breath. **_

_**Riley smiled and closed her eyes, letting her nose nuzzle his neck. **_

"_**Please stay with me," he whispered as his eyes got heavier. **_

"_**I will," she whispered and they both fell into a light sleep.**_

_End Flashback. Still in Riley's Dream…_

"Is everything okay?" Ariadne asked quietly as Riley stopped speaking suddenly.

Riley didn't hear her.

"Someone else is here," she whispered.

Ariadne's eyes widened.

"Who?" she asked quickly.

"I don't—" but a voice cut her off.

"—Riles, darlin! It's been a long time!" Eames shouted from a distance away.

Riley's face broke into a grin.

"Eames," she said and Ariadne looked at her.

"We'll talk later?" Ariadne asked and Riley looked at her.

"Absolutely," she said and Ariadne nodded.

"Thank you for listening Ariadne," Riley added and took off down the brick path disappearing behind the snow that fell from the sky.

**Thoughts? Let me know! I love reviews! We are still in Riley's dream. No flashbacks in next chapter I don't think. Try to keep following and I am always open for questions. **


	6. Chapter 6

**The next chapter of **_**The Director**_** is up! I hope you like it! Let me know! Please Review!**

_**Previous chapter:**__ "Thank you for listening Ariadne," Riley added and took off down the brick path disappearing behind the snow that fell from the sky. _

Riley slammed into Eames giving him a tight hug.

"Sorry we haven't been able to talk much since I've been here," she said into his shoulder.

Eames smiled.

"That's why I came through here. No one will bother us," he said and she smiled.

"I've missed you so god damn much! Where have you been all this time?" Riley asked curiously.

"I've been spending most of my time in Mombasa lately. Work is good," he said and Riley's eyes widened.

"In Mombasa?" she asked shocked.

"Believe it or not," he said nodding.

The two began walking down the brick path in a soothing silence. The snow had still not stopped and layered the floor thick. It was not cold anymore though.

"So how's life treating you?" he asked and Riley shrugged.

"Still breathing," she said and Eames chuckled.

"I hear ya. Life is just one big mind fuck for us isn't it?" he asked and Riley laughed.

"Well after this job I'm done living the dream life. I'm heading home and starting fresh," she said and Eames nodded.

"I like the sound of that," he smirked at her.

"Not with you," she added and Eames snapped his fingers.

"When are you going to realize that we're just meant for each other?" he asked and Riley laughed.

"Sorry Eames but my heart belongs to someone else," she said softly.

Eames rolled his eyes.

"You always used to say that and yet you never told me who the lucky bastard was," he said annoyed.

Riley shrugged.

"What good would it do if you knew?" she asked.

"Well I'm starting to believe you made this guy up," he said looking at her.

Riley smiled.

"He's the man of my dreams," she whispered and Eames missed the hint.

"How cliché darlin," he mumbled.

Riley laughed. She liked Eames. He was a good guy. His constant flirting with her would always spout arguments with Arthur and probably contributed to why they really disliked each other so much. She knew that deep down, Eames knew about her and Arthur. Why he didn't say anything eluded her.

"We should probably start waking up," she said and Eames stopped her.

"But things were just getting good," he said and she smiled.

"You really have to stop this shameless flirting," she said and he grinned.

"You know you like it," he said and was about to say something else when Riley blinked and he was gone.

"Eames?" she called out.

Then she felt as if she was falling and—

**End Dream. **

Riley's eyes snapped open and she flailed as the arm chair felt like it was falling back. Someone stopped her and set the arm chair straight again.

"What—?" she began but noticed Eames glaring at Arthur and Arthur glaring back.

She turned to see Cobb looking at her.

"We had to test a theory. Sorry but you two were the only ones under," Cobb said offering a smile.

Riley nodded.

"What theory?" she asked.

"It's a kick. The dreamer will always wake up if they're falling in real life. Now all we need to do is fix it so that we can feel it in three layers of dreams," Yusuf said scribbling in his notebook.

Riley nodded again.

"Sounds like fun," she said standing up.

Eames was still glaring at Arthur, who was now smirking slightly. Cobb turned to Riley just as Saito walked in.

"Mr. Fischer died today. The funeral is Thursday in Los Angeles and his son leaves Tuesday," Saito said calmly.

"Are you ready for this?" Cobb asked Riley quietly.

"If I said no would it change anything?" she whispered.

Cobb shook his head and then turned to Eames.

"You've studied Peter Browning thoroughly I hope?" he asked.

"Like a book," Eames said quickly.

Cobb nodded.

"Then we're ready. The plan is set," he said and the group walked off.

Arthur stopped though when they realized Riley and Ariadne weren't following the others.

"Riley?" Arthur called.

Riley looked up and smiled slightly.

"Go on ahead, we'll catch up," she said and Arthur didn't move.

Riley realized it then.

"I promise I'll be there in a few. I just have to show Ariadne something," she said and Arthur nodded leaving hesitantly after looking at Ariadne.

Ariadne stared at her.

"There is something you should see," she said and Ariadne lay beside her as they entered the dream share.

**In Riley's Dream…**

Ariadne felt the sand beneath her feet. They were on a beach. She was about to speak but stopped when she saw Riley's face. It was stone cold.

"A while back I was working on something that I kept secret from Cobb and the others," she began and Ariadne knew this was big.

"I knew I had to be careful with what I told people. If this got out…there would have been rewards, great rewards…but there would have also been consequences. So many consequences…" she went on.

Ariadne watched her carefully.

"Inception was a myth…but here I was, solving it, by using my own mind as a testing ground. I would plant little ideas in my head at first. I never tried anything with consequences I thought were too great," she said and Ariadne's eyes widened.

"And I wouldn't dare use it on anyone else," she added.

"You preformed inception on yourself? Is that even possible?" Ariadne asked shocked.

"I told you I'm a lucid dreamer. When I woke up I knew the idea was not my own but a planted one. That's when I started thinking that what happened to me would happen to everyone. Someone would plant the idea and the subject would believe the idea was real in the dream but when they woke up they'd know the idea was planted. I thought I proved that inception was possible to an extent, but failed when the dreamer awoke. No severe damage done," she stopped talking.

"I told Stephen and Dom about it," she said shaking her head.

"Professor Miles?" Ariadne questioned.

Riley nodded.

"It was my first great mistake in a long line of many," she said quietly.

"A while later Dom came to me and told me that Mal was confusing reality with her dreams. He said he hadn't told anyone yet but he trusted me. He said he needed—" she stopped as a loud rumbling was heard.

"What's that?" Ariadne questioned.

Riley turned to look and—

**End Dream.**

Riley's eyes snapped open as her chair hit the floor and she toppled onto the ground. Cobb stood over her.

"What were you doing?" he asked Riley quickly.

"Just working some more," Ariadne chimed in pulling the wire from her sleeve.

"Riley was showing me some new tricks," Ariadne clarified.

Cobb stared at Riley who nodded.

"Is there a problem with that?" she asked and Cobb softened.

"Come on, we all need rest to catch the flight with Fischer. No more dream sharing tonight," he said and the two girls nodded and followed him back to the motel.

**At the Motel…**

Riley knocked on Arthur's door and it opened quickly.

"Thought I ran?" she asked smirking.

"Honestly I didn't know what to think. I've been pacing since I got here," he said and she smiled at his bluntness.

"Well you can stop now. I was just coming to say good night," she said softly.

Arthur frowned.

"You're not spending the night here?" he asked confused.

"Well, I'm bunking up with Ariadne. She might think something's funny if—" Arthur cut her off.

"—she knows about us already. She won't mind," he said pulling her into his room and closing the door behind him.

**Sydney Airport…**

Riley stared at the entrance leading to the plane she'd be getting on in a few minutes. She wasn't going to lie, she was nervous.

"You okay Riles?" Eames asked appearing out of nowhere.

"I hate planes. And I hate inception. So no…I'm not okay," she said and Eames chuckled.

"Hang in there, alright? We'll be done before you know it," he said letting his hand rest on her back.

Riley was actually calmed by this action. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Eames smiled.

"I'll be looking out for you in there anyway. You have nothing to worry about," he added.

Riley smiled slightly and looked at him.

"Well now that I know my savior will be there…" she was about to joke when her eyes locked on their target.

Eames turned slightly and saw the young man handing his ticket to the attendant.

"Show time," Eames grinned.

**Thoughts? Let me know! I love reviews! Try to keep following and I am always open for questions. **


	7. Chapter 7

**The next chapter of **_**The Director**_** is up! I hope you like it! Let me know! Please Review!**

**On the Plane… **

She sat down with Arthur next to her. She watched as everyone took their seats and got ready for the job. She looked at Arthur slowly.

"Everything's going to be okay," he said immediately.

Riley smiled weakly. She just didn't believe him. But she nodded anyway. She watched from the corner of her eye Cobb talking to Fischer. She saw the sedative slipped into Fischer's water. She watched Fischer drink it as he and Cobb toasted something.

All she wanted to do was stop it. But now it was too late as Fischer passed out and Cobb stood up to open the dream share. Everyone became alert and even the stewardess began helping and shutting the curtains. Cobb turned to Riley.

"This is it Riley. After this we're home free," he said and that made Riley smile slightly.

The wire was handed to her and she knew the extra sedative was added already. She took in a deep breath and stuck the needle in quickly laying back and waiting for it to work. She turned her head slowly and the last thing she saw that was real was Arthur falling asleep beside—

**In Dream One…Yusuf… **

Riley was somewhere in New York downtown. It was raining and she was less than pleased. She had on jeans and a black t-shirt. She was soaked through and through within seconds. She knew her part in this. She walked towards the car but she wouldn't get in. She watched Yusuf and Eames get in and wondered why Yusuf couldn't have gone to the bathroom before the dream sharing began. The rain was harder then ever.

She watched Cobb drive into the cab and then watched Arthur get into the cab and drive off. She spotted Fischer and saw Arthur turn on his cab lights. She saw Fischer get in. Everything was going smoothly. Eames got in next and Saito got in the front with Arthur. Riley started heading towards Cobb's car where she saw Ariadne climbing in the front.

She was about to call to them when she heard a loud gunshot. She turned to see Arthur's cab getting bombarded with bullets. Her eyes widened.

"Riley, get over here quick!" Cobb yelled.

Suddenly a freight train went flying through the scene and Ariadne gasped.

"That wasn't in the design—" she started but then looked at Cobb.

Riley stopped a nearby cop and looked him straight in the eye.

"I'm going to need your gun," she said and the cop gave it to her as if in a trance.

Riley clicked the safety off and aimed. It had been a while since she fired a gun. She took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. The armed man shooting at the back window of the cab dropped fast as the bullet hit its target. Eames peeked out from above the broken back window. Riley fired at another guy killing him quickly.

"Riles, get your ass over here!" Eames yelled and this seemed to catch Arthur's attention.

"She's not with Cobb?" he called back.

"No she's out in the bloody open! Just focus on getting us the hell out of here! I've got her covered!" Eames shouted his answer.

Then something happened. She hadn't seen the other black SUV. It slammed into the mailbox beside her and she jumped out of the way. They had been aiming for her. Arthur and the others must have gotten distracted because Fischer managed to get out and took off running.

"Fischer's taken off!" Eames shouted.

Riley spotted Fischer and took off after him.

Riley!" Cobb called but then stopped.

"What are you doing? She's going to get killed!" Ariadne yelled at Cobb from inside the car.

"If Fischer dies in this gunfire everything we did would be for nothing. She knows that," he said and then seemed to get an idea.

"Hang on," he said and slammed on the gas.

He drove right into one of the black SUV's creating an opening for Arthur to drive.

"Going to get Fischer and Riley! Follow me! We have to move fast!" Cobb called out and drove off.

Arthur followed. Riley and Fischer flew down the wet streets of New York.

"Just leave me alone!" Fischer yelled as he ran.

Riley flew past rows of parked cars after him. Suddenly, all the doors of the parked cars flew open blocking her way to Fischer. This did not stop her though. She climbed on the trunk of one of the cars and took off again, running on the roofs car to car. It was slippery and she knew she could get hurt badly. This also made her an easy target for the gunmen. But she knew Eames would have her back. She made it to the side of Fischer and jumped off the car onto him. They went rolling to the ground and the impact knocked the wind out of her.

She was grateful it knocked the wind out of Fischer too because he didn't get back up to run. She knew she was bleeding. Her cheek scraped the floor pretty roughly and she knew she was bruised up pretty nicely. She slowly sat up and then struggled to her feet. She wasn't going to lie. She was hurting. A car pulled up to her and she covered Fischer quickly.

"Get in!" Cobb called and Riley thanked her lucky stars.

She grabbed onto Fischer's suit and wretched him up into the backseat shoving all his weight forward and throwing herself off balance. She hit the floor as Fischer's body fell into the backseat. She felt dizzy but pulled herself up, jumped into the back and closed the door behind her. She slipped the sack over Fischer's head. The yellow cab followed closely behind. They drove to the warehouse.

_In the Warehouse: _

The cars came to a stop and Eames pulled the shutters closed to block the gunmen from getting in. They circled around and Yusuf and Eames pulled a dazed and bagged Fischer out and dragged him to the back. Cobb flew out of the car and headed towards the cab.

"Arthur! Arthur what the hell happened—" he stopped when he saw Arthur pull a bloody Saito from the car.

Riley's eyes widened.

"Oh Christ is he dying?" Cobb asked and Arthur shook his head.

"I don't know. What happened? Where were you?" he asked.

"We were blocked by a freight train," he said and Arthur looked at Ariadne.

"Why would you put a train crossing in a downtown intersection?" he asked and Ariadne shook her head.

"I didn't," she said and Riley looked at Cobb in realization.

"You were supposed to research the subject! He had militarized men! We're not ready for that kind of violence!" he yelled at Arthur.

"He must have had an extractor train his mind. There was nothing in the research about it. But we've dealt with sub-security before. We just have to be more—"

"—it wasn't part of the plan Arthur! He's dying!" Cobb cut him off.

"So let's just put him out of his misery," Eames said pulling out his gun.

"No!" Cobb yelled quickly knocking Eames' hand away.

"Well why not? He's suffering, let's wake him—"

"—no! It won't wake him up," Cobb said and everyone stared at him.

"When you die in a dream you wake up, that's how this goes," Eames said.

"We're too heavily sedated to wake up," Yusuf said quietly.

"So what will happen if one of us dies?" Eames asked getting angrier by the second.

"That person won't wake up. Their mind will fall into Limbo," Cobb said and Riley stood up quickly.

Everyone turned to look at her. She wasn't looking at any of them. Her eyes stared at the floor.

"How long?" she asked quietly.

"You couldn't even think about trying to escape until the sedation eases—" Yusuf began but Eames interjected.

"—she asked how long!" Eames repeated annoyed.

"Decades…it could be infinite. I don't know! Ask him, he's the one who's been there before!" Yusuf pointed to Cobb.

"So we're stuck here battling Fischer's own private army and if we get hit we fall into Limbo till our brains dissolve into scrambled eggs?" Eames asked.

Saito groaned.

"Let's just get him upstairs," Arthur said and Yusuf helped him carry Saito.

Ariadne followed them. Riley stood very still. Water still dripped from her clothes. It mixed with the blood on her cheek and lip. Cobb followed Arthur upstairs. He didn't know what to say to her. Eames walked over to Riley and lifted her chin.

"Let's take a look at that pretty scrape on your cheek," he said eyeing it carefully.

Riley managed to look at him. Eames nodded.

"I know. I know," was all he said.

She flinched when he put a piece of wet cloth against her cheek.

"Sorry," Eames whispered and then noticed that small tears were falling from her eyes.

"Oh it doesn't hurt that much—" he started, but Riley threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest to muffle her sobs.

Eames softened some and held her close. He rested his chin on her head.

"It's alright Riles darlin'. You won't be going to Limbo," he said and she looked up at him.

"I'm not afraid of Limbo Eames. It's Dom. It's this job. We're ruining a man's life. And for what? So Dom can get back to his kids? Does he even deserve to get back to them? He's not a good man. We're not good people Eames! What we're doing is wrong! And now we're all risking our lives—our minds for him!" she said angrily.

Eames stared down at her and brushed some tears from her cheeks.

"We're what our choices have made us to be," he said calmly and Riley stared back at him.

She looked away when she heard a commotion upstairs. She pulled away from Eames and ran upstairs.

_Upstairs…_

Cobb was gripping Arthur's jacket roughly and yelling at him. Arthur was saying nothing and doing nothing. Riley rushed over and shoved him off harshly. Cobb stumbled back shocked.

"Get off him! Don't blame him for something that's entirely your fault! You brought us here without telling us of all the risks! We could literally lose our minds because of you! You say we're not prepared for this type of violence, but we should be! Do you remember nothing of what Miles taught you? Always plan ahead! You should have seen this coming! He's a corporate dog for crying out loud, what made you think his mind wouldn't be trained?" she roared at her brother.

Everyone became silent. Riley took a moment to get composed.

"Why don't you go check on Eames and see if he can switch to Browning. We should start to interrogate Fischer. We can't dwell here too long. Fischer's men are surrounding the place as we speak," she said after a short silence.

Cobb seemed to gain his composure as well.

"I'll need Arthur with me," he said, and Arthur could tell that was his way of apologizing.

"I'll be right down," Arthur said nodding.

Cobb nodded and headed downstairs. Ariadne followed Cobb leaving Arthur and Riley with a wounded Saito. Riley turned to Arthur and felt his hands upon her cheeks.

"That looks like it hurts," he said running a smooth finger over her scrape.

"Not as much as Saito's bullet to the chest," she mumbled and Saito chuckled weakly.

Arthur leaned his head against hers. It was their way of speaking when words were just not enough. Riley nudged him softly.

"I'm scared of what the results of this job may be," she whispered.

"You're scared that we're all going to make it out alive and well?" Arthur mused and Riley smiled some.

"I don't want to leave you again," she said and Arthur pulled his head away from hers.

"Stop talking like you're not going to wake up," he said firmly.

"There's a chance I won't," she said meekly.

Arthur grabbed her chin and made her look at him.

"We're going to wake up Riley. We're going to live normal, boringly real lives, remember?" he asked and she nodded feebly.

"Why don't you believe me?" he asked her and she closed her eyes.

"Because Mal's been waiting for an opportunity like this and now that it's come, she won't waste it," she said and Arthur's eyes became dark.

"She won't get that close," he said and Riley almost believed him.

She touched his cheek tenderly and he closed his eyes leaning into her touch. He would have given anything for the dream to end right there and for them to wake up. He didn't care about the inception any longer. He just wanted to stop her fears. Cobb called from downstairs and Riley nodded to Arthur.

"I'll stay with Saito. Go get what you can out of Fischer. Be gentle with Eames," she said and Arthur smirked.

"_Poor Eames,"_ Riley thought.

Riley sat by Saito while the guys interrogated Fischer.

"How…does it l-look?" Saito asked slowly.

"It looks like you got shot in the chest. Bloody and revealing," she clarified.

Saito smiled grimly.

"I'm dying…" he managed.

"In this level, yes. The pain intensity will lessen as we work our way down. But eventually…you will slip into Limbo," she said and Saito nodded.

"Your bedside m-manner n-needs work," he said and Riley smiled slightly.

"Sorry, I was never good at comforting people," she admitted.

Saito nodded weakly.

"You think I'm a b-bad man…" he stated more than asked.

Riley nodded.

"Yes."

"W-What does that m-make you then?" he asked in a whisper.

"I never said I was a good person. I've done bad things before. I know who I am. The reason I'm here is completely selfish on my part. The rewards of completing this job overpower the consequences. I get to go home and be with my family and the man I love. The consequences are just stepping stones to me," she said and Saito smirked through bloody teeth.

"You lie well, Ms. Cobb," he said after a while.

"Thank you," was all she said giving him a small smirk.

Cobb came upstairs with Arthur.

"It's time to move him," Cobb said, and Arthur helped Saito up and they all went downstairs to the van waiting for them.

_Downstairs… _

"We can do a Mr. Charles," Cobb said and Arthur and Riley both looked at him.

"That's not a good idea," Riley said quickly.

"The last time we did that the dreamer tore us apart," Arthur added.

"What's a Mr. Charles?" Ariadne asked curiously.

"It's when we tell the dreamer he's actually dreaming," Cobb explained.

"It's too risky," Riley said still staring at Cobb.

"We're running out of time. We need to start taking some risks. Eames, you got a distraction?" he asked turning to the forger.

"I got a pretty little blonde number I use on occasion," he said and looked at Riley and winked.

Riley rolled her eyes. _Was he seriously trying to make her jealous at a time like this?_ Of course.

"Good we'll need her. Yusuf you have to time it right. Arthur won't be able to set off the kick if the timing isn't perfect," he said and Yusuf nodded.

"Alright then…let's go to level two," he said quietly as they all piled into the van.

**Thoughts? Let me know! I love reviews! Try to keep following and I am always open for questions. **


	8. Chapter 8

**The next chapter of **_**The Director**_** is up! I believe only one more after this! I hope you like it! Let me know! Please Review!**

_**Dream Level Two…Arthur…**_

She was sitting about 30 feet from where Arthur and Ariadne sat. Her eyes carefully scanned the area around her. Fischer's subconscious was unaware they were there, which meant Cobb hadn't told Fischer they were dreaming yet.

She was dressed in black slacks with a white collared shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a half up half down style. She was on recon; making sure everything went as planned. Suddenly all eyes fell on Arthur. Riley tensed. Cobb told Fischer. She stood up as Eames walked down the hall. He looked at her and motioned for her to follow him. She headed down, keeping her eyes on the ground.

"Well, no one's tearing Arthur to shreds yet," Eames said as the two began walking.

"Lucky for him," Riley said smiling some.

"Think it worked?" Eames asked as they continued walking.

They were about to pass Arthur and Ariadne.

"It had too. No one seems—"

Suddenly the ground shook and Riley stumbled right into Eames' arms.

"You alright there darlin?" he asked grinning.

Riley stood up straight.

"Fantastic. Wish Yusuf would drive a little more carefully," she mumbled, smoothing out her shirt.

"I love his driving," Eames said and Riley playfully glared at him.

"So not the time for that," she mumbled.

Eames grinned.

"All work and no play make Eames a naughty boy," he whispered and Riley had to stifle a smirk.

She cleared her throat and her body tensed. Eames patted his jacket letting her know he had a weapon.

"It's nothing. Just my own paranoia," she said, shaking it off.

"Never shake off a feeling in this place darlin. I believe you taught me that one," he said and she looked at him briefly before continuing on their way to meet with the others.

_**In the Hotel Room 491…**_

Riley glanced at Arthur.

"I like the room number," she whispered to him.

"It holds great significance to me," he whispered back smiling some.

Fischer kept staring at her for some reason. _Did he recognize her? No way._ Riley smiled at him.

"Are you alright Mr. Fischer?" she asked sweetly.

Fischer seemed to snap out of his trance.

"No, not really. This whole situation is entirely screwed up. I wish I would just wake up and not remember any of this," he said truthfully.

Riley nodded.

"I know what you mean," she said and Fischer gave her a small smile.

"Mr. Charles says you guys are the best sub-security in the field," he said quietly.

Riley nodded.

"We'll keep you safe Mr. Fischer, no matter what," she said smiling.

"It's Robert," he said and Riley smiled wider.

"We'll keep you safe Robert," she repeated kindly.

Fischer felt comfortable with her for some reason. He believed her when she said they'd keep him safe.

"It's time," Cobb said and he helped hook Fischer up to the dream share.

Everyone began setting up and Arthur moved to help Riley.

"Please be careful up here," she whispered.

"I will. You be careful down there. I hate to say it but, stay close to Eames. He's an ass, but he'll keep you safe," Arthur whispered.

They were both nervous.

"Maybe I should stay up here with you. What if something goes wrong?" she asked fearfully.

"Trust me; I can handle it up here. They need you down there," he said and she stared at him.

"I love you."

Arthur blinked as the words echoed throughout the room. Everything seemed to be put on pause. Her lips connected with his quickly in an intense, but short kiss. When she pulled away he pressed the button and her vision blurred.

"I love you too," was the last thing she heard.

_**Dream Level Three…Eames…**_

They were all bundled up as the snow lay untouched on the ground. The snow fortress. They had to get Fischer in the fort so that the idea they planted could take effect.

"Ariadne stays with me," Cobb said and Riley nodded.

"Saito can take Fischer to the fort. I'll stay with Eames," Riley suggested.

"Sounds like a plan; she's the only one who could probably keep up with me," Eames said nodding.

"Keep your mics on. If something happens, make sure to report it," Cobb said.

They all split up.

Riley and Eames began to ski down the slopes quickly. They stopped and snuck behind a thick snow-covered brush. Riley counted the men getting ready to head for the fortress.

"Of all the able men out there, you pick Arthur," Eames said suddenly.

Riley looked at her friend. Eames stared straight ahead.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" he asked and finally looked at her.

Riley bit her lip.

"I didn't want our friendship to change. I love you so much. I love what we have. You and Arthur hate each other. How was I supposed to tell you something like that? 'Hey, Eames, I'm falling in love with the man you hate, well, see you later,'" she said.

Eames shook his head.

"I don't hate Arthur. I just don't like him much. And better you tell me then I look like a fool in front of him. He was probably laughing at me the whole time," he said looking back to the men.

It was Riley's turn to shake her head.

"No, he was extremely pissed off. We decided to hide our relationship from everyone, not just you. With you and me, our relationship was right out in the open. I'd even go so far to say Arthur was jealous of you at times," she said and Eames smirked a bit.

"Jealous, eh?" he said somewhat proud.

"Are you two really having this conversation now?" Ariadne yelled into the earpiece.

Riley rolled her eyes and smiled. Then she looked to the men.

"They're on the move. Let's do this fast," she said and lowered her goggles.

Eames nodded and they took off behind the jets. It didn't take long to dismount a few off of one jet. Then Eames threw in a surprise grenade that sent the other jet flying high. Then music started playing and Riley glanced at Eames.

"It's too soon," he yelled and Riley began to ski faster.

"We're losing time guys. Where are you?" Cobb spoke in their earpiece.

"We're almost at the fortress! When we get there we have to clean up and make sure Fischer gets in that vault!" Eames yelled.

Riley nodded.

"There's a lot to clean up!" she yelled looking at the fortress covered in guards.

"I'll take care of clean up! You go to the secret entrance at the bottom of the fortress that Ariadne made, where Fischer and Saito should have gone. Make sure he gets into the vault Riley!" he said and the two parted ways.

Riley watched as Eames skillfully distracted the guards on top of the fortress. She pulled off her skiing gear and climbed through the vent. She saw Saito halfway in. He was losing consciousness.

"Saito?" she questioned, shaking him slightly.

Saito opened his eyes and grinned. Blood seeped through his teeth.

"F-Fischer went on ahead. Go c-cover him. I'll stay here and w-watch the entrance," he whispered.

Riley nodded.

"Don't die," she whispered and ran the rest of the way.

She reached the vault room just as Mal fell from another vent in the ceiling. Fischer was looking at the vault. He didn't see her. Riley panicked. If she kills him, this was all for nothing. Fischer turned as Mal raised her gun.

Riley briefly wondered why Cobb wasn't shooting. Then she realized. This was Mal. She ran forward and tackled Fischer to the ground as the gun went off. Cobb must have come to his senses because Mal dropped to the ground a second later.

Eames ran into the room then. She saw Mal, Riley, and Fischer on the floor. He ran to Riley quickly.

"Riles? What the hell happened?" he asked and then he went pale.

Blood was forming on her white jacket. Riley swallowed hard.

"It's o-okay, it didn't hit F-Fischer," she said shakily.

Eames ripped open her jacket and put pressure on the wound. Riley winced and then chuckled some.

"A-Always the chest, she never fails," she said smiling.

Eames shook his head.

"This is not the time for joking, love. This is serious okay?" he said panicked.

"Tell me what I can do to help," he said clearly panicked as well.

Eames looked at him.

"You have to get in the vault and you have to do it now. There's no more time," he said and Fischer pointed to Riley.

"But what about her?" he asked concerned.

"Don't worry about her! She did this so you could get in that vault! Don't let her have done this for nothing! Go!" Eames yelled and Fischer stood up and headed to the vault.

"H-He hesitated again," Riley mumbled.

Eames stared at her.

"What?" he asked confused.

Riley swallowed. Blood was trickling out of her mouth.

"Dom, he hesitated again. He didn't shoot her when he was supposed to. I guess I understand. She's Mal…I wouldn't have been able to shoot Arthur," she mumbled and Eames shook his head.

"Listen, you just have to hang on a little longer, alright? Just a little longer. Your dream boy is about to set off the explosives and save the day alright? Everything is going to work out," he said pushing some of her hair out of her face.

Riley smiled.

"I wish you two would get along. Then we could all be friends," she said clearly deliriously.

"If you make it through this, I will be his best friend Riles, his best friend," Eames said nervously.

Riley smiled and touched his cheek.

"You're so great. I love you," she said smiling.

Eames closed his eyes tightly.

"I love you too darlin, don't you forget it," he said, taking her hand tightly in his.

Riley smiled wide and Cobb and Ariadne ran in.

"Oh Jesus, Riley!" Cobb yelled and dropped to his knees.

Ariadne also fell to her knees. Eames didn't move.

"Fischer's in the vault," he said quietly but Cobb didn't hear him.

Riley smiled at her brother.

"You hesitated," she said and tears fell from Cobb's eyes.

"I understand why now," Riley added patting her brother's arm.

Cobb kissed her forehead.

"I'll come get you Riley. I'm not going to leave you behind," he said and Riley nodded slowly.

"I'll go with him. Make sure he doesn't hesitate this time," Ariadne said and Riley chuckled.

"I'll be waiting," she said closing her eyes.

Eames dropped his head and covered his face with one hand. The other still held onto hers.

"Fischer is in the vault. Saito and Riley are in limbo. Let's go get them before the van hits the water," Ariadne said quickly.

Cobb set up the dream box and lay down with Ariadne. Eames turned to Cobb.

"You bring her back," he said and Cobb nodded.

"You'll be the first one she sees," Cobb said and fell asleep.

**Thoughts? Let me know! I love reviews! Try to keep following and I am always open for questions. **


	9. Chapter 9

**The FINAL chapter of **_**The Director**_** is up! I have been waiting for this moment! I hope you like it! Let me know! Please Review!**

_In Limbo…_

Cobb and Ariadne walked through a rundown, barren city and into a building created by Mal and Cobb. They walked into the kitchen where Mal sat patiently. She smiled seeing Cobb, but then the smile faded seeing Ariadne.

"What is she doing here?" Mal asked fingering the knife in her hands.

Cobb sat down across from Mal.

"She's here to take Riley back," he said and Mal shook her head.

"No," she said firmly.

Cobb held up his hands.

"Let her take Riley back, and I'll stay here with you," he said and Ariadne went to speak, but Cobb silenced her.

"You promise?" Mal said hopeful.

Cobb smiled weakly.

"Where's Riley, Mal?" he asked and Mal pointed to the balcony.

"Go check Ariadne," Cobb said and Ariadne ran to the balcony.

She saw Riley huddled in the fetal position.

"She's here!" Ariadne called back.

Cobb swallowed.

"Now take her and go," Cobb said and Ariadne stared at him.

"I'm not leaving you here," she said and Cobb turned to her.

"I still have to find Saito," he said and Mal became infuriated.

She went to stab Cobb but Ariadne shot her.

"What are you doing?" Cobb yelled.

Ariadne shrugged.

"Improvising!" she said and kicked Riley off of the balcony.

She turned to Cobb. He nodded.

"Go with her! I have to get Saito!" he yelled and Ariadne nodded and jumped off the balcony.

_**Dream Level Three…Eames…**_

Eames felt the ground shake beneath him. Arthur blew up the explosives. How the hell was he going to tell this to Arthur? He decided to use the paddles one more time. They didn't work the last five times, but he decided a sixth time couldn't hurt. He pressed the paddles to her chest.

"Come on Riles," he said and jolted her.

Riley's eyes snapped open and she coughed holding her chest. Eames' eyes widened.

"Riles?" he said and she managed a small smile.

Then the fortress split and she held onto him tightly.

"Dream boy saves the day," Eames said holding her close and Riley smiled.

They both fell into the cracks.

_**Dream Level One…Yusuf… **_

Riley opened her eyes to someone pressing a mask to her face. She breathed in the oxygen and tried to see through the water that surrounded her. Eames and Fischer were gone. Ariadne was gone and so was Yusuf. She looked in front of her and her heart beat faster. Arthur.

He pointed up and she nodded taking in a deep breath of oxygen and swimming up. She broke the surface and inhaled as much as she could. Arthur emerged a minute later. They both swam to the bank and Eames and Yusuf helped them out. When Riley was on her feet she immediately connected with Arthur, who held her just as tight.

"How was it down there?" he asked after they pulled away.

"Successful," was all she said.

No need to tell him she died and came back. Eames chuckled.

"What are you laughing at?" Arthur turned to him.

"Oh nothing, she's right it was successful. And it made me realize six is my new favorite number," he said and Riley grinned.

Arthur turned back to Riley confused.

"Inside joke," she said smiling and kissed him lovingly.

Arthur happily accepted her kiss and returned it intensely.

Then she pulled away quickly.

"What about Cobb and Saito?" she asked looking down at the water.

Ariadne smiled.

"Something tells me they'll be alright," she said and Riley smiled.

They would be.

**End Dream Sequence.**

**On the Airplane…**

Riley's eyes opened and she sat up. Cobb and Saito were also sitting up. She smiled at her brother, glad to see him awake. She turned to Arthur.

"It's over. We're free," she said barely containing the huge smile across her face.

Arthur smiled.

"Let's go home," he said leaning over and kissing her gently.

They all exited the plane and walked to get their luggage. Cobb walked passed Eames and Yusuf, who smiled at him. He nodded to Saito and Ariadne. Then he came across Arthur and Riley.

"We're coming with you. I want to see my niece and nephew," she said and Cobb smiled and nodded.

Riley grabbed Cobb's hand tightly as they walked to the security booth. Cobb handed the man his passport with Riley's and she felt him squeeze her hand. The man greeted them.

"Welcome Mr. and Ms. Cobb," he said smiling.

Cobb nodded and the two siblings walked by taking deep breaths. They saw Miles and smiled as they hugged him. Then it was off to Cobb's house.

**Cobb's House… **

They all walked in and the first thing Cobb did was pull out his top. Miles went to get the kids. Riley and Arthur watched as Cobb spun the top on the counter and watched it. It was a good sturdy spin. As the trio watched, they heard familiar little voices.

"Daddy!"

Cobb looked up and saw the faces of his children. He left the kitchen immediately and ran to them. Arthur and Riley stared at the top still spinning. Arthur jumped as Riley smacked it down with her hand. He looked at her and she smiled.

I would know if we were dreaming. I'm a lucid dreamer remember?" she asked and Arthur smiled.

"I want to live normal, boringly real lives with the people I love," she added and Arthur kissed her.

"Then let's start," he said leading her to the back yard where Cobb, Miles and the kids were.

"I'll be there in a second," she said, watching as Arthur joined Cobb, Miles and the kids outside.

Riley stared at the fallen top on the table, her eyes unreadable.

END.

**AND SO IT ENDS! Thoughts? Let me know! **


End file.
